My wife came up and told me that Sesame Street had done another spoof. This time it was a skit called "Desperate Horse-wives." I got a groan when I asked if the characters were less than neigh-borly.

In all seriousness, I'm not that thrilled with how the folks at Sesame Street parody network TV shows. While I am sure that the creators mean simple and innocent fun with their skits, I believe it also sends the message that the shows they represent are normal and acceptable in normal households. I'm not sure how normal we are, but Desperate Housewives is a show that we do not let in our house. My children know that when Extreme Makeover Home Edition is over and they hear, "Previously on Desperate Housewives..." power to the television is to be immediately terminated. It's almost comical how they scramble to turn it off, as if they were diving on a live grenade.

While it may not be a grenade, many TV shows are painfully difficult for us to watch these days. Some of the shows are so corrosive, I wonder how anyone can possibly watch them. Consequently, some nights we simply don't turn on the television set. Instead, we will read a good book or play a game together, if we don't split up to do separate things. We avoid the shows not because we like feeling superior or cerebral, but because we've found that these shows actively interfere with our hearts and minds.  

^8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Philippians 4:8, The Message)

I can't come out with a list of TV shows that I think are bad or good. The verse above should be more than enough for the average Christian, especially when it's paired with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Each person is responsible only to God for decisions like these. However, Jesus did give us a special charge with children.

"And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. Mark 9:42 (NIV)

To me this verse means that God takes the destruction of children's innocence very seriously. This is why the Sesame Street skits irritate me. It feels like they're playing with fire. Look smart all you want, but I would prefer if they would just stick with "C is for cookie," and the yip-yip monsters.

What? You've never heard of the yip-yip monsters?

Yip Yip

| MySpace Video Thanks Jodi!

I have decided after much prayer that I need to close Show and Tell Friday.  It has been wonderful connecting with so many ladies this way.  I feel like I need to scale back some in my life.  Thank you all who have joined in ALL on the fun over the last couple of years. 

Celebrating 19 Years !

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I have to say  ...boy have we come a long way baby!   I had moved and  started a whole new life with Handsome in a different country from my birth, had four sweet boys, built a house and a life with my Handsome.   Do I regret any of it ???  No, God has blessed me through the thick and the thin and has shaped and molded us in so many ways. ( and still is !)  

Honey,

Happy Anniversary and may we have MANY more !  I am more in love with you now than I was way back then and I was head over heals in love with you then.

XXOOO

And we're off to Russia for a week or so.  We're reading chapters 17 and 26 in Story of the World, Vol 3; learning about Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.

Russian Coloring Pages with a paper Matroyshka craft
Lots of Russian links
TIME for Kids Russian Teacher Guide
Russian flag coloring page
Enchanted Learning Russia printables


Play Durak - a Russian card game

Make a salt dough map of Russia.  My kids love doing them and we rarely do. 
2 parts flour
1 part salt
1 part water. 

Put an outline map onto cardboard, and use a physical map as a reference to form the country.  When it dries in a day or so, then paint it.

Cook Russian food.

Print out a map of the polar regions; color, talk about arctic circle and why Peter the Great needed to find a warm water route to the west.

Listen to Peter and the Wolf - Classics for Kids Lesson Plans

Russian music from library

Some DDS numbers for Russian books:
JF Meyer
E Robbins
E Metaxes
E Tolstoy
J 398.2 SIL
J 947 CAT
J 947.31
J 394.26
J 914.7
947 M

Diane Stanley - Peter the Great

movies: PBS Catherine the Great, A&E Peter the Great Biography, and Peter and the Wolf movie (after listening to it).......and since it's so close to Christmas, Nutcracker ballet and other Russian ballets from Netflix

I strongly suspect that those who would spend 30 minutes decrying Federal corruption and bureaucracy wouldn't spend 30 seconds on Google looking up who's on their local school board. If there was ever a weak point in democracy, this is it.

Thanks, Mike Rosen, for your thought-provoking commentary.

 

 

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Homeschool Swimming lessons are one of the biggest highlights of our school year.  At our local aquatic center they have accomidated us homeschoolers twice a year and organized  a chance to get all our kids in their levels to learn how two swim within a two hour slot.  That is huge for a homeschool mama and what a blessing that is.  This year I only have my two littles in swimming lessons and the two boys are both in the same level too.  That is great for me because they can have fun and learn together and we have been going a hour and a half early for them to have fun in the open swim too.  Gotta get the biggest bang for my our time.  While they are having fun in the water I am ....sitting and loving every minute while knit.  Ohhhh how I am enjoying this time. 

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I have two October babies.  I didn't get pic's of my oldest's b-day b/c he was not with us for his b-day.  But I did get a pic of Luke and his birthday cake.  I cannot believe I have a 17yo and 15yo.  Boy do they grow up fast !  I also had to sneak in a pic of what it looked like this week when it snowed.  It has been snowing and melting several times in the last few weeks.  It won't be long before it decides to stay for the winter.

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Now, if you want to join us in the fun of Show and Tell Friday  just....

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~Make a Show and Tell Post and make sure it is wholesome.  It can be pretty much what ever you want to share.  It could be about you ...or your family ....or what is going on in your homeschooling.

~Some how link me ( Mary @ Raising 4 Godly Men or Canadagirl ) so others will know where to go to join S&T.

~Come back to me and let me know you posted your S&T by clicking on the MckLinky and using your exact URL to your Show and Tell Post.   ( I need you  to tell me each week that you want to participate, okay ?  )

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~If you want the S&T button to put on your blog go HERE

~Then

" please go visit other gals wonderful Show and Tells !  Oh,  don't forget to comment.  EVERYONE  loves comments."

I've scaled back a little to just Reading, Writing, and Math for the time being.   Here are a bunch of grammar worksheet links that I've found...a lot of them go along really well with First Language Lessons, Level 3.  I don't have the student workbook, and even if I did, I think I would still need some more reinforcements, so this is what I'm using and it works great!

1,025 noun worksheets (and more)
6th grade grammar worksheets - yes, I think they could be used for 3rd grade *cringe*
Daily Grammar - these are great, short little sheets, perfect for quick review
a blog with a bunch of grammar links....maybe they're the same as what I'm putting up, lol.  I haven't looked through it all yet, but there's a lot!  Very helpful!
Gigglepotz - ??? about the name, but a bunch of different worksheets
Language Arts worksheets
Fantastic worksheets - this is the site I go to first.

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I have to share a yummy frugal recipe that is wonderful for this time of year... Pumpkin Coffee Cake.  I would also like to to share some trivia about me.  I LOVE, love, love anything pumpkin.  I love foods made with it, pumpkins are my favorite things to grow in the garden, and I love how cute pumpkins are.   I like the shape so much I made a candle cast for my candles from a mini pumpkin.   So, in honor of pumpkins here is my recipe to share.

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Pumpkin Coffee Cake

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of margrine or butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp baking powder
• 1/2 salt
• 3/4th cup milk
• 1/2 cup mashed/or canned pumpkin
• 1/3rd cup flour
• 1/4th cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. gr. cinnamon
• 2 bsp margrine or butter

In a mixer cream sugar, margrine/butter,  and beat eggs and vanilla.  Sift or stir together flour, baking powder,  and salt;  add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Blend pumkin with 2/3rds  cups of batter. Spread  remaining batter in a greased  8x8x2 inch baking pan.  Drop pumpkin mixture over batter by tsp's.

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Mix 1/3rd cup flour,brown sugar, and cinnamon:  cut in 2 Tbsps  of margrine/butter.  Sprinkle over coffee cake.

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Bake 350* over 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm.

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I hope this is  a winner for you all.  I love baking and if you can make it frugal it is even BETTER.

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Now to join in the fun of Tightwad Tuesday....

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  Link your TWT post click on MckLinky and give exact the URL of your post.   (each Tuesday that  you join in on the fun)  

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example of a URL ...

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Canadagirl/693425/

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  Now go ahead link and read and comment on all these other's wonderful TWT's. 

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 Lets save our pennies, nickles, dimes, and dollars  together !

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"There are only a few big ways to save money but there are many small ways ....that all adds up."

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I thought I would Show and Tell about what we as a family been up to.  It is as anyone who has hung around my blog know it's been harvest time for us.  We are plugging away at drying and freezing apples.  Plus we are freezing up apple juice and we are about to start making apple cider vinegar.  Handsome and I drink each night what I call our apple cider tonic.  It is one tablespoon apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon honey or aquave nectar to one mug of hot water.  So by making our own vinegar it saves us LOTS of money.  We also grew a small patch of potatoes as you can see.  In the pic below is the apples that we have to finish processing asap.

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Here is also a update on The House That God Built.  We are getting REAL close to being done with our siding of our house.  My BIL and crew has done the stucco and hardy plank. ( cement board that looks like wood)  I just love how it all looks.  We still have about half left to go and hope it will be done before it gets too cold. 

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If you look closely at the front door you will see a insulated pipe across it.  That is what our temperary line looks like.  It is attatched to the front of our house and all the way down to my MIL's house.  That is roughly 180 feet.  That is where we once again will be getting our water when the other line freezes. 

If you look at the side door you will see the buckets of apple cider that is going to be processed in one way or another asap.  And I couldn't resist showing our cute kitty cat...Frankie.

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Now, if you want to join us in the fun of Show and Tell Friday  just....

.
~Make a Show and Tell Post and make sure it is wholesome.  It can be pretty much what ever you want to share.  It could be about you ...or your family ....or what is going on in your homeschooling.

~Some how link me ( Mary @ Raising 4 Godly Men or Canadagirl ) so others will know where to go to join S&T.

~Come back to me and let me know you posted your S&T by clicking on the MckLinky and using your exact URL to your Show and Tell Post.   ( I need you  to tell me each week that you want to participate, okay ?  )

.
~If you want the S&T button to put on your blog go HERE

~Then

" please go visit other gals wonderful Show and Tells !  Oh,  don't forget to comment.  EVERYONE  loves comments."

A friend of mine asked me what I thought of this. I thought, I hope they don't try to cook the chicken over all the glue, cardboard, simulated leather, and the myriad of chemicals likely to be in the books they're collecting.

Seriously, these folks have lost the point. If it were simply a matter of their faith being unable to accept anything but the KJV Bible, I wouldn't say anything because that's their issue that they need to work out with God. Something else is the matter.

They can burn all the books in the world except for their precious KJV and still never come to this critical realization: The problem is not in the books out there in the world; the problem is in our hearts. It's easier to burn someone's books than it is to examine our own thoughts and actions. It is true that they burned books and paraphernalia back in Biblical times, specifically Acts 19. Nonetheless, it was an outward demonstration of what had already happened in their hearts. Specifically, it was to make a clean break with the past lives they'd lived, burning the bridge behind them that lead back to the old ways. They knew that, if things got rough, their hearts might lead them back into the sorcery and divination they had been practicing. They could have sold all of their junk and received the equivalent of $35,000. That money went up in smoke because they didn't want to pass on the practices that they had abandoned.

This church's book burning is a case where the practice out-lives the meaning. It serves no real purpose, except to state their reading preferences and belief in the King James-only doctrine. Given that that statement could be made any number of ways, having a book burning is a foolish choice. It gives the appearance that small-town, North Carolina residents are intellectually backward. It plays to the stereotype that small-town southerners are narrow-minded, hyper-religious zealots. It invites comparison to the Nazis and other evil regimes, both real and imagined, that used book burning in their quest for an ideological purity. It is, in my mind, the worst thing they could possibly do to demonstrate their faith. This is exactly what the enemy would want them to do.

So what are we to do for people who operate like this? Should we correct them? Should we disown them? Neither; in fact we should pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would correct them, that he would stop them from continuing this practice. I pray that they come to a better understanding of God's love, and, in turn, move to a better expression of his love for others.